Peace, Stability, and Transition.

Youth in Conflict-Affected Areas

Shared Lessons: Countering Extremism and Preventing Gang Violence

Elisabeth Dallas, director of Chemonics' Peace, Stability, and Transition Practice interviews Todd Diamond, director of Conflict, Security, and Stability program at Chemonics, about shared lessons from our work in countering extremism.

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Specialists
Resources

Manisha Aryal

Bridget Burke

Roshana Cohen

Elisabeth Dallas

Amy Denkenberger

Todd Diamond

Garrett Dorer

Michael Geertson

Stacia George

Rhett Gurian

Elizabeth Martin

Peggy Ochandarena

Michele Piercey

Enrique Rivas

Christina Schultz

Dr. Jennifer Swift-Morgan

In Search of Common Ground: Applying Shared Lessons from Countering Violent Extremism and Preventing Gang Violence

High-Impact Practices: How to Design Social and Behavior Change Communications for Countering Violent Extremism

Our Work in Peace, Stability, and Transition

Colombia CELI Final Report

Côte d’Ivoire Transition Initiative 2 Final Report

Conflict and Crisis: Using Arts, Music, and Sports to Build Peace

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Closing Economic and Community Divides in Pankisi

Connecting the people of Georgia’s Pankisi Valley to one another and to neighboring regions will build social cohesion, create economic opportunity, and make the region more resistant to tension.

Enhancing Stability in Somalia

Somalia’s state assemblies must work in tandem with local and international actors to strengthen government capacity and promote a more peaceful, stable Somalia.

Promoting a Moderate, Inclusive, and Stable Syria

Amid the conflict in Syria, local efforts to build a peaceful and inclusive future and resist extremism need support.

Restoring Essential Services in Syria

Electricity, schools, roads, and other essential services are out of reach for many of Syria’s conflict-affected communities, magnifying the instability of their recovery efforts.

Building Peace in Libya

It is important to build stability and resiliency through civic engagement and community dialogue in Libya.

Promoting National Cohesion in Ukraine

Amid a sociopolitical crisis, Ukraine and its conflict-affected eastern region needed to advance its transition to a prosperous and democratic state.

Increasing Confidence in Ukraine’s Democratic Transition

With Ukraine’s historic democratic transition underway, vulnerable communities in eastern Ukraine need greater confidence in the government, its people, and the country’s European future.

Elevating Security Sector Reform

The global development community and U.S. government need the right tools, innovations, and proven technical approaches to improve security through security sector reform programs.

Addressing Drivers of Violent Extremism

The Sadaqa project, meaning friendship, supports the Mauritanian Ministry of Islamic Affairs’ efforts to thwart extremist recruitment.

Strengthening Interethnic Cooperation in Kosovo

Kosovo Serbs and other minority populations must be further integrated into the country’s institutions and society to help the country become more stable.

Promoting Peace and Communal Cohesion in Côte d’Ivoire

After a decade of political and economic crisis culminating in the 2010-2011 post-electoral conflict, Côte d’Ivoire is charting a new course toward economic recovery and political stability.

Strengthening Human Rights in Colombia

To keep the peace following its 52-year armed conflict, Colombia must protect vulnerable populations’ human rights and prevent human rights violations from recurring.

Building the Economy and Promoting Peace in Colombia

More than five decades of conflict and negligible government influence in rural Colombia have forced its people to grapple with poverty, violence, and a weak economy.

Using Evidence-Based Analysis for a Food-Secure World

An early warning system that provides timely data and evidence-based analysis helps the international community identify and respond to populations that lack access to safe and nutritious food.

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Growing Together in Colombia

Rural communities in Colombia have developed savings and loans plans that are funding and fueling small business growth.

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An Argument for Inclusive Stabilization

Photo courtesy of USAID Colombia Human Rights Activity. This post originally appeared on Devex. When everyone is struggling to recover from violent conflict, singling out one community for assistance among many ethnic and religious identities can actually make matters worse. Yet, to heal the inter-community rifts that set the stage for conflict, targeted outreach to…

Using Civic Justice to Disrupt Cycles of Violence: Lessons Learned from Mexico

Last month in Morelia, Michoacán in Mexico, a woman returned to her vehicle to find she was being ticketed by a police officer for parking in a no parking zone. She became verbally aggressive towards the officer, pushed him, and accused him of distributing tickets only to collect bribes. Three years ago, Morelia authorities would…

3 Questions with Todd Diamond on Countering Violent Extremism and Preventing Gang Violence

This post was adapted from an interview between Elisabeth Dallas, Chemonics’ Peace, Stability and Transition Practice director, and Todd Diamond, a conflict, stability, and security director in Chemonics’ U.K. Division. For the full interview, watch the video below. How are violent extremism and gang violence — and the development community’s approaches to them — similar?…

To Respond to the Venezuelan Migration Crisis, Let’s Also Tap the Private Sector

Globally, new momentum is building for the private sector’s participation in alleviating migration crises worldwide and supporting migrants’ and refugees’ integration. From investing in migrant-owned businesses to engaging a migrant workforce or securing resources for optimal basic service delivery for migrants and host communities, private sector engagement offers unique avenues for helping to solve migration…

What the Global Fragility Act Could Mean for Development Investments

This post originally appeared on Devex. The Global Fragility Act requires the U.S. government, in collaboration with civil society, to develop a 10-year strategy to enhance stability and to reduce violence and fragility globally. The GFA — recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and up for a full vote by the Senate —…

People standing in front of mural of child's face

Stop, Look, and Listen! Preventing Recruitment of Youth into Illicit Activities in Southern Colombia

This post originally appeared on Harvard’s Center for International Development’s Building State Capability program’s blog. The authors successfully completed the 15-week Practice of Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation online course. This is their story. As development practitioners, we tend to rush in with solutions to deal with complex problems. We impose so-called best practices without digging…

How to Design Social and Behavior Change Communications for Countering Violent Extremism: A Multi-Sectoral Approach

This post originally appeared in the Council of International Development Companies’ (CIDC) Thought Leadership Compendium. Learn more about our Center for Applied Approaches to CVE. Violent extremism’s threat to democracy and citizens’ security is growing and changing faster than domestic and international constituencies’ ability to contain it. Countering violent extremism (CVE) experts are urgently searching…

Determining the ‘How’ with Stabilization

The number of civilian deaths due to violent conflict more than tripled since 2007 — according to the World Bank and the United Nations’ Pathways for Peace study — and an estimated 65.6 million people have been displaced from their homes, largely due to conflict. The study also notes that the cost of responding to…

Increasing Resiliency in the Face of Disaster: Four Best Practices

As Category 4 Hurricane Florence barreled toward the Southeast of the United States last week, preliminary damage estimates indicated 758,000 homes across three states could be impacted. Reconstruction costs were estimated at $170.2 billion. Despite the dire forecast and its associated challenges, however, the United States is one of the countries most prepared to respond…

Making it Stick: Key Considerations for Operationalizing the Stabilization Assistance Review

Weak political and social institutions, persistent poverty, high population growth rates, and even recurrent climate shocks can drive vulnerable countries into chronic instability. Preventing vulnerable countries from backsliding into conflict requires a strategic, multi-layered, and flexible response. This includes the delivery of humanitarian assistance, but also programming that can immediately stabilize countries and build the foundation…

A group of four girls in Pakistan reading children's books in a school

Education as a Key to Solving Conflicts

Those of us who work in peacebuilding pull out every tool in our toolbox to solve conflicts — we talk about infrastructure, jobs, agriculture, governance, and youth programs. But youth programs tend to focus on out-of-school individuals aged 18-35 years old, not school-aged children. And rarely do people talk about supporting children — nor education…

News: Joining the Conversation on Stability

What is stability? A single definition of “stability” could go a long way in aligning the international community’s priorities around addressing fragility and the risk of instability. On June 26 to 27, the Stabilization Symposium brings together world leaders, development practitioners, private sector representatives, and policymakers to look at applying a single definition of stability…

A farmer tends to his fields in El Salvador

News: Charting a New Course at #DevexWorld

How can the development community bring stakeholders together to achieve the SDGs? What does a successful public-private partnership look like in today’s development landscape? These are some of the questions that Devex World aims to tackle on June 12 in Washington, D.C. Chemonics is proud to be a Changemaker Partner this year, sharing insight from…

Closing the ‘Rhetoric to Reality’ Gap — Preventing Violent Extremism in Post-Siege Recovery

When violent, ideological groups like the Islamic State establish a foothold, they strengthen their position with a narrative that the government has failed to deliver on its social contract with the Muslim population, particularly with youth. They exploit this “say-do” gap — the disconnect between what governments say about creating an inclusive identity and equal…

News: Chemonics Announces New Corporate Diversity and Inclusion Director

Chemonics International has named Francesca Molinaro director of corporate diversity and inclusion. Molinaro joins Chemonics with more than 18 years of experience designing and implementing strategic diversity and inclusion (D&I), leadership and organizational development and change management initiatives. She has a strong consulting background with vast experience in the international development sector. In this newly…

4 Best Practices to Counter and Prevent Violent Extremism Through Governance

Despite the recent weakening of violent extremist groups such as the Islamic State and Boko Haram, these threats continue to be a pressing global issue. In the development sector, countering violent extremism (CVE) and preventing violent extremism (PVE) are increasingly high priorities for government agencies and donors. As USAID, the State Department, and others grapple…

News: Chemonics and Alliance for Peacebuilding Host Panel on Countering Violent Extremism

Violent extremism is a pressing global issue that threatens economic growth, youth employment, and geopolitical stability. In the global development community, countering violent extremism and preventing violent extremism continue to be high priorities. Good governance is widely accepted as being key to both, but what does this mean in practice? This question was the focus…

The Lack of HIV Programming in Refugee Camps is a Ticking Time Bomb

For nearly four decades, HIV has not only been a public health emergency, but also one of the biggest barriers to global development. This disease costs national governments billions of dollars each year in treatment and prevention costs as well as opportunity costs in relation to immune-compromised citizens who are no longer able to contribute…

News: Technology for Development (Tech4Dev) Contest

Chemonics’ staff submitted 38 contest entries from around the world, focusing on the use of technology to enhance existing projects’ results as well as identifying promising potential technology applications that have not yet been fully tested. Winners were chosen in two categories, through a combination of staff judges and votes cast by more than 600…

We Can’t Respond to Famine Caused by Conflict in the Same Way as Famine Caused by Drought

In conflict- and famine-affected states, interventions can undermine innate community resiliencies that could offer some protective effect for families and individuals. It is well-understood that violent conflict is a major cause, or the primary cause, of each of the globe’s four most pressing food security crises — in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen —…

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